Month: February 2021

2021-02-04T08:01:00

(BPT) – With the madness of 2020 trickling into 2021, we’re all looking for some much-needed bliss in our lives. While getting ‘lit’ means something a little different to everyone, think of it as a state of mind that revels in the moment, inspires positivity and embraces a little fun — no matter the circumstances. If you want to get ‘lit’ this winter in more ways than one, consider these ideas.

Shine bright!

Just because the holiday season is over doesn’t mean your glorious glow can’t make a cameo! Consider gracing your backyard with white lights for the remainder of the winter to add a little extra pizzazz to your home. Not sure you want to light the night daily? Turn them on only on the weekends or for special occasions, like birthdays or when you survived another Zoom call.

Grill in the snow and cheers to a good time

Whether it’s glowing charcoal embers, rich smoke or a flickering flame, bust out your snow shovel and make your way to your grill — even as the snow flies. Bring a little heat to the season by grilling up a delicious ribeye or burger and enjoying it with Gnarly Head’s sophisticated wines. The big, bold flavors their wines offer — like the Old Vine Zinfandel that you have to taste to believe — are a perfect pairing with grilled favorites and will surely shake up any night.

Brighten up your home with neon wall art

Need a new look for your favorite spaces? Whether it’s a vintage piece or work of art, neon wall hangings are all the rage. The bright illumination these pieces provide is just the start! What really makes them special is how much they can reflect your personality and define the room’s aesthetic. You can even get something custom made if you have a special design in mind or just want to put your dog’s name on display. From the basement to the hallway to the kitchen and beyond, displaying neon wall art will make any space a little more ‘lit’ than before.

Lounge up your living room

The weather outside may be frightful, but the inside is delightful when you transform your boring old living room into a relaxing lounge. Take inspiration from legendary wine lounges around the world and fire up some candles or string lights for a moody feel. Low music in the background, some cozy blankets and a bottle of Gnarly Head wine makes this room the hottest spot in town. And unlike those world-renowned lounges, no reservations are required.

Cook all of your food over an open flame

Up for a foodie challenge? Try cooking over an open flame. Taking ‘lit’ literally, it’s a gnarly way to make a meal with friends or family. Whether using a portable fire ring or open flame on your stove, get the fire going until you have some good heat for cooking. Wood-fired pizzas, classic hot dogs and marshmallows for s’mores — mix and match methods to bring fun and flame-kissed flavor to your dull dinner routine.

2021-02-04T10:47:00

(BPT) – While the nation struggles with the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, the economy has taken a serious hit. At the same time, technological advances continue, including the rollout of multiple nationwide 5G networks. And this advance will be the catalyst for an economic surge — along with huge job growth in key industries.

With every technological advancement comes a burst of innovation that can’t always be anticipated. For example, the leap to 4G led to innovations like ridesharing, music streaming and contactless payments. Some aspects of the 4G move helped spur the U.S. economy to recovery after the 2008 recession. Just as with 4G, every innovation arising from 5G technology may be hard to anticipate.

But it is possible to predict many changes that will come with the 5G Economy, as some are already in the works. And the impact will be huge.

Research by Boston Consulting Group and CTIA revealed that the 5G Economy will contribute about $1.5 trillion to U.S. GDP, creating about 4.5 million jobs in the next decade.

“Our analysis shows that the 5G Economy’s impact will be broad and deep, unlocking significant benefits across the U.S.,” said Enrique Duarte Melo, a BCG managing director and senior partner and lead author of this report. “The GDP growth and job creation that America’s 5G networks are beginning to unlock will be instrumental in jump-starting the country’s economic recovery.”

Their research also shows how and where some of those contributions will appear — and are already beginning. According to the study, the three key industries that will benefit directly from the 5G transformation are:

1) Information services — This sector will see 205,000 new jobs and contribute $217 billion to the GDP.

Highly advanced 5G networks will create a bigger demand for more engineering and software services.

2) Manufacturing — This industry will see a boost of 380,000 jobs and will contribute $165 billion to the GDP.

In addition to the demand for infrastructure-related equipment that comes with 5G networks, advances in manufacturing processes will increase efficiency, reduce maintenance costs, enhance the supply chain and optimize production schedules. The 5G factory floor includes high-density sensors and other advancements to increase the precision of manufacturing processes.

For the automotive industry, 5G connectivity will drive autonomous and semi-autonomous transportation. 5G helps cars talk to each other, not only for safe autonomous vehicles, but also for enhanced safety features such as lane assist and automatic emergency braking.

3) Healthcare — The healthcare sector will see 341,000 new jobs and contribute $104 billion to the GDP.

With enhanced connectivity, wearables and monitoring devices help connect patients directly to their healthcare providers, making healthcare services more accessible and more targeted.

Telemedicine is also greatly enhanced by improved connectivity, as video calls become more seamless and reliable — with no delays or disruptions — and the network increases accessibility for those in more remote areas.

Public-private partnership to deliver on the promise of the 5G Economy

To ensure that the benefits of the 5G Economy are fully realized, policymakers, regulators and the private sector must work together so the 5G rollout continues to be smooth and rapid — and that the talent pipeline is sufficient to meet the demand.

Delays in network infrastructure build-out would carry significant opportunity costs. According to the study, every six-month delay in 5G network deployment at the national level could mean missing out on an average of $25 billion of potential 5G benefits by 2030.

“This study confirms the significant benefits that will come as a result of the 5G Economy, as long as there are no delays,” said CTIA Senior Vice President Nick Ludlum. “America’s wireless industry is building the foundation for the country’s post-COVID economic recovery.”

The 5G Economy will unlock many broad benefits across the U.S., with some of those benefits yet unknown. New services will emerge across all industries, including manufacturing, healthcare, agriculture and education. These changes and the benefits that come with them will help pull the U.S. into a thriving post-COVID economy.

To read the full report from Boston Consulting Group and CTIA, visit ctia.org/5Geconomy.

2021-02-04T14:35:00

(BPT) – Rare is the person who hasn’t been impacted by cancer in some way. Maybe it’s your parent fighting for their life. Perhaps it’s a friend going through a difficult treatment. It could be a neighbor or colleague who was recently diagnosed and who now faces complex decisions.

It also might be you.

One in three people in the United States will receive a cancer diagnosis in their lifetime, according to the American Cancer Society. Whether it impacts you directly or indirectly, cancer is a difficult journey. Despite the significant advances made in cancer care, the deadly disease is soon expected to become the No. 1 killer worldwide.

Cancer kills nearly 1,700 people daily

In January 1971, President Nixon declared war on cancer at his State of the Union address and signed the National Cancer Act into law later that year. Fifty years later, the nation observes World Cancer Day on Feb. 4. Of course this growing health problem deserves attention year-round.

In 2020 alone, Americans lost some of the most talented and iconic figures in the 20th century from cancer, from civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis to gender equality champion Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Just a few additional celebrities who died included game show host Alex Trebek and actor Chadwick Boseman.

“Each day in the U.S., nearly 1,700 people will die from cancer and three times that number will learn they have it. Additionally, an estimated $201 billion was spent on cancer care last year,” says Josh Ofman, M.D., MSHS, and chief medical officer and head of external affairs at GRAIL, a healthcare company whose mission is to detect cancer early, when it can be cured. “Currently in the U.S. there are recommended screening tests for only five types of cancers out of the more than 100 known to exist. Fortunately, new technologies are expected to expand screening options in 2021 and beyond.”

New advances in early cancer detection

Experts agree that the most crucial factor of cancer survival lies in early detection. The sooner you learn you have cancer the sooner it can be treated, ideally before it spreads and advances into later stages. Early detection can help cancer treatments to be more effective and can increase survival rates.

“Unfortunately, many cancers are currently diagnosed after the cancer has already spread,” says Andrew Hudnut, M.D., at Sutter Medical Foundation, Family Medicine. “Only 20% of people with late-stage diagnosis will survive five years. While cancer screenings exist for some cancers, for others the cancer diagnoses simply arrive too late.”

Thanks to emerging technology that is capable of identifying cancer signals in the blood, early detection is a possibility now more than ever. In clinical studies, Galleri, GRAIL’s investigational multi-cancer early detection blood test, demonstrated the ability to detect more than 50 types of cancers and identified where in the body the cancer was located with high accuracy, all with a low false-positive rate of less than 1%.

“This new cancer screening option has the potential to be an important addition to our current screening paradigms, such as for breast and colon,” says Charles McDonnell, M.D., FACR, a radiologist at Sutter Health. “With early detection being so critical, a simple screening such as Galleri could save or extend many lives.”

The Galleri test will be available in the second quarter of 2021, initially through large employers, health systems and specialty physician practices. Learn more at grail.com/galleri.

2021-02-04T11:57:41

(BPT) – It’s natural to want to eat healthy and fuel your body with the nutrients it needs to feel good. Figuring out how to eat healthy and make smart choices can be difficult if you don’t know where to begin. Try these five simple tips to introduce better habits into your diet.

1. Plan ahead

Planning is important for healthy eating, and even more so when you’re busy and time is limited. Start by choosing a consistent day to plan all your meals for the week, then check inventory in the fridge, freezer and pantry before making a grocery list. Always keep some healthy and easy shelf-stable or freezer meals on hand for busy days, and if you’re making a meal or snack that is freezable, double the recipe so you have it on standby.

2. Build a balanced plate

Easily build a healthy and balanced plate, without pulling out measuring cups or a scale, with these easy to eyeball proportions: fill half your plate with vegetables, a quarter with healthy carbs, a quarter with lean protein and a small dollop of healthy fats. Make sure your diet is diverse and eat from all five food groups, enjoying a wide range of vegetables, fruits, lean meats, fish, eggs, nuts, seeds, whole grains and naturally lower-fat dairy foods across each week.

3. Fill up on fruits and vegetables

It’s recommended that adults eat at least five portions of fruits and vegetables every day. Fruits and vegetables are healthy snack alternatives to foods like pretzels, sweets and chips. To ensure you always have healthy food options ready for snacking, chop and prep your fruits and veggies using NatureSeal Fresh-Cut Solutions Produce Extender as soon as you get home from the store. It keeps fresh cut produce like apples, carrots, celery, pears and peaches from browning while maintaining the texture and without altering the flavor. It keeps produce fresh in your fridge for up to one week helping you ensure healthy snacks are always readily available. There is a similar product for avocados that keeps your guacamole from turning brown.

4. Cut down salt and sugar

Regularly eating foods high in sodium and sugar may affect long-term health. However, consuming both in moderation is OK. Most dietary sodium and added sugars come from eating packaged and prepared foods, so learning how to read food labels will help you stay on track. Visit the FDA.gov website for more details on how to properly use the Percent Daily Value on the Nutrition Facts label as a tool to determine if a serving of the food is high or low in sodium or added sugars.

5. When eating out, make healthy choices

Despite your best efforts to plan, sometimes you end up getting take-out or eating out at a restaurant. This doesn’t mean you have to abandon your healthy eating habits. A few easy and healthier choices include asking for dressing on the side; choosing baked, broiled or grilled options instead of fried; and asking for water instead of sodas and other sweetened beverages. Finally, if you’re not too hungry or the serving size is large, simply divide your plate into two servings and save half for another meal.

Making dramatic changes to your diet all at once can be hard to swallow, literally. Keep these tips in mind and try incorporating them into your daily routine gradually for a healthier lifestyle.

2021-02-04T15:43:01

(BPT) – Rare diseases have long been difficult for doctors to diagnose and treat. Symptoms can be vague or confusing and the diseases are often not widely known. People living with rare diseases called primary immunodeficiencies (PIDs), including neutropenia, face challenges with diagnosis and treatment. Their journey to find answers may include years of infections and illness that seem to be unrelated. In fact, there are more than 400 genetic mutations that cause the immune system not to function properly, and misdiagnosis is common. A new website called www.IDYourPID.com harnesses the power of genetic testing advances to change that.

Primary immunodeficiencies (PIDs) such as congenital neutropenia are caused by changes, or mutations, in genes involved in the immune system. In recent years there has been a huge leap in discovery of genetic mutations that cause PIDs and neutropenia. These discoveries are leading to more personalized treatments. With personalized medicine, doctors can tailor a person’s treatment based on that individual’s specific genes and disease. It can allow doctors to pick the right medicine at the right dose and the right time, instead of giving the same treatment to everyone.

For people living with a PID like neutropenia, the results of a genetic test are about more than satisfying a curiosity about their ancestry or potential health risks. These results may alter the course of their diagnosis, treatment and prognosis.

In fact, a recent study of genetic testing in people suspected of having PIDs showed significant results. More than half of the study participants received a change in their diagnosis, and more than a third changed treatments due to the genetic test results.

“If you’re living with severe neutropenia, talk with your doctor to see if genetic testing is an option for you,” said Daniel Link, M.D., Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. “New advances are being made all the time, and a clinical trial or targeted treatment may be available for your specific genetic mutation.”

Genetic testing might help you …

• Make informed choices about your healthcare
• Get a better diagnosis faster
• Learn the risk for your family members
• Find resources, like patient communities and organizations, for your condition
• Better understand your options for taking part in clinical trial research

If you are living with a rare disease such as PID or neutropenia, there may be a targeted treatment available now or clinical trials to study treatments that need volunteers like you. Visit www.IDYourPID.com to learn more about your options and how genetic testing may be able to help, as well as links to resources for free genetic testing.

2021-02-03T11:51:00

(BPT) – Everyone faces adversity at one point or another that may affect happiness and overall well-being. And adversity has not been in short supply during the COVID-19 pandemic. In many cases, you are given opportunities to adapt or grow from these experiences, in order to come out stronger on the other side. However, your level of resiliency may do more than help you cope with life’s challenges — it may help improve your health.

Many factors may impact a person’s health that go beyond the doctor’s office. Some of the most well-understood are referred to as Social Determinants of Health (SDOH). These are the conditions in which you live and work that affect your well-being, including factors such as food security, housing and transportation.

But what is known about the personal factors that influence health and happiness? And how do they impact you during the different stages of life? Recently, researchers with UnitedHealthcare and AARP Services, Inc. (ASI) developed a framework called Personal Determinants of Health (PDOH) for understanding the factors that help people cope with adversity and thrive through aging. These characteristics also tend to help people get the most out of their health care experiences, physician interactions and community resources. This framework can act as a complement to SDOH with the intention of creating a holistic picture of one’s health.

The idea of PDOH depends upon strong resilience — the ability to bounce back from life’s challenges and cope with difficult experiences — which individuals may build and improve upon as they age.

“A positive outlook on aging and the power of resiliency can help us adapt and support our ability to lead healthier lives,” said Dr. Charlotte Yeh, chief medical officer of AARP Services Inc.

UnitedHealthcare and ASI research proposes that resilience is built through three key characteristics:

• Purpose: Having goals, a sense of direction and meaning in life
• Possibility: Optimism regarding the future and/or positive perceptions about aging
• People: Having strong social connections to support optimal health outcomes

In today’s changing world, the ability to bounce back and cope with stressors has gained increased attention. For many seniors, everyday life has been disrupted with the onset of COVID-19. Social and physical distancing has curtailed opportunities for connection for those who may already be struggling with loneliness.

These impacts may cause a lasting epidemic of social isolation, especially among the most vulnerable. Eventually, this trend could worsen physical and mental health, leading to reduced longevity or poor quality of life. Thus, initiatives are greatly needed to reach those at highest risk to help boost their resilience.

Together, UHC and ASI continue to study the factors of PDOH to learn more about its importance for ultimately leading to better health outcomes and experiences with care. Through numerous programs, they have learned it is possible to strengthen resilience even later in life. Intervention approaches showing promise have focused on multiple components, including:

• Happiness and optimism games
• Mindfulness practice
• Problem-solving techniques
• Expressive writing
• Friendship and peer support programs

By first defining important personal determinants to support resilience, these interventions can be tailored to increase the possibility of improved health outcomes, member experiences and overall quality of life.

“We need to change the conversation about what it means to grow older, to challenge outdated stereotypes about aging and empower people to choose how they live as they age,” Yeh said. “Aging is not about decline and negativity, but the ability to adapt and thrive.”

2021-02-03T17:57:06

(BPT) – While it’s hard to know what’s around the corner, many travelers with wanderlust are thinking about heading for the horizon in 2021. And while travel may look different this year, there are lots of great socially distanced destinations on the map.

Nokian Tyres is sharing some of the great places drivers plan to travel in 2021:

Close the hood and head for Oregon

Craggy coasts, vast volcanoes, lush vineyards, remote forests — it’s hard to match the geographical diversity of Oregon, making the Beaver State a cherished road trip destination.

Eclectic Portland is a great home base. In the Rose City, quirky meets classy in a delightful blend as rich as a Willamette pinot noir. From there, it’s time to explore the Beaver State’s wealth of environmental riches.

Set your sights east toward towering Mount Hood, which presides over Northwest Oregon from its pulpit 90 miles outside town. Oregon’s highest point stands at 11,250 feet. Head to Government Camp, a pocket-sized tourist town on the side of the slope. It’s home to several shops, restaurants and boutique hotels; you can also hit trails that’ll get you up the mountain.

For the best driving experience, install a set of all-weather tires, which are designed to thrive in unpredictable weather, which is an Oregon specialty.

Explore mountains of adventure in the Green Mountain State

Vermont brushes the shores of Lake Champlain before gracefully rising into the clouds, shrouding a world of adventure and escape that’ll make you glad you visited the Green Mountain State.

Start in Burlington, the state’s largest city. Stroll down Church Street for a socially distanced jaunt to immerse yourself in the city’s eclectic culture — part college town, part New England village, part business capital.

Then, it’s time to head for the hills. Killington Ski Resort is 60 miles south of the capital city but feels like a world away. It’s the largest ski area in the Eastern United States and boasts the biggest vertical drop in New England — more than 3,000 feet. If it’s summertime and the slopes aren’t frosty white, rent a mountain bike and tackle the hills on wheels instead.

Volunteer for a jaunt through Tennessee

If you live in the Eastern U.S., perhaps the mountains are calling. Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most-visited in the country — and for good reason.

Carve your way from bucolic Gatlinburg up to Clingmans Dome, Tennessee’s highest point, for stunning views — as long as the Smokies’ namesake haze isn’t shrouding the hills below. Dip your toes in a frigid mountain stream and dive into the trail map for thousands of hiking and backpacking options. And when your head is ready to hit the pillow, book a cabin on the Peaceful Side of the Smokies in Townsend, Tennessee, for a quiet escape. If you’re headed east, rest at renowned Hemlock Inn in Bryson City, North Carolina for a bucolic bed-and-breakfast experience.

For a list of tire safety tips that’ll help protect you on journeys near and far, visit NokianTires.com/TenRules.